A lens flare occurs when light reflects off the surface of a lens or other bright object and strikes the camera sensor. Lens flares typically happen when the camera is pointed towards a bright light source, such as the sun or a camera flash. When captured unintentionally, a lens flare can cause unwanted distractions and reduce contrast over the affected area of the image. However, when used creatively and with intent, lens flares can create a dreamy, romantic, and aesthetically pleasing effect in an image and add interest to an otherwise bland photo. In this article, we’ll give you 6 tips for lens flare photography to use on your next photoshoot.
Personalizing my bags with killer zippers
When one of my zipper pull broke, I thought, “well, that’s not a big deal. I will just add some paracord to replace it”. I like the saying from Mythbusters: “If it is worth doing, it is worth overdoing”, so just adding paracord was not an option. I wanted to personalize my pull and add my logo to it.
I designed a little button in Fusion 360 that fits the paracord pull and has my logo in it. It took some test prints to test the right fit, logo recess depth and filling material. In the end, it looked so nice that I ended up adding it also to my other bags, which were perfectly fine. Paracord can be found in several colours so it’s easy to find your brand colour or a colour you just like.
Lighting Setup: Pastel Colored Light and Gobos
Ever since I started to use colored lighting, I’ve always battled with the issues that many of us face when combining multiple colors and if you’ve shot with colored gels in the past, I’m sure you’re familiar with what I mean. Images involving multiple colored lights can sometimes look messy or display muddy colors that look almost blocky with clipped color data. But why does this happen? Why do our colored lights often look a mess?
The reason for this is actually fairly simple and in this lighting setup I’ll show you how to mix even delicate pastel colors in the same shot, whilst still maintaining a crisp look.
Improve your landscape images tenfold by using these storytelling tips
“If you focus on this instead of getting the latest and the greatest camera gear,” says Mike Smith, “you will get so much better than you could have ever imagined.” By ‘this’, he means storytelling. It’s an elusive but valuable skill and one that any photographer benefits from. It’s the difference between a nice image and a compelling image.
But it’s not easy. Including any kind of narrative in a still image is hard. It takes practice. “Sometimes I get it and other times I completely miss the mark,” says Mike. In this excellent video, Mike walks us (literally!) through his ideas on how to tell better stories through your photographs.
Don’t make this mistake when using the ‘nifty-fifty’ lens
How many of you use a 50mm f/1.8 lens? Its popularity across the board has given this lens the nickname of the ‘nifty-fifty’. So-called because of its small size and correspondingly small price tag, but great value. It’s often the first prime lens that photographers buy and is still a firm favourite for many.
But are you getting the most out of your lens? Joshua Peg asks this question as although he believes that the 50 mm f/1.8 lens is pretty great, it still has some limitations, and many people may not be reaching their full potential when using it. In this video, he walks you through how to make the most out of the popular nifty-fifty.
Do you need an image stabilising lens as well as in-body stabilisation?
Many camera bodies come equipped with image stabilisation (IBIS). Similarly, most high-end lenses also come with optical image stabilisation (IS). So what happens then if you use a body with IBIS coupled with an image-stabilising lens? Do you even need both or does one cancel the other out? And is it worth paying extra for the lenses with IS?
If you’re confused by this conundrum then David Bergman via Adorama has come to your rescue. David answers the question about whether you even need to spend extra money on an image stabilising lens if you have a camera body with built-in stabilisation.
Is the difference between an f/2.8 and an f/4 lens really worth the price?
You’re buying a new lens and there are two versions available of the same focal length. Do you go for the f/4 aperture, or do you splash out an extra grand for two extra stops of light, buy the f/2.8 lens and walk away smug that you’ve bought the ‘best’ option?
It’s a common question and most photographers will tell you that you ‘get what you pay for’, especially when it comes to glass. However, it’s not that straight forward. Obviously it depends on what and how you shoot. In this video Nigel Danson takes a not very scientific approach to discovering the answer to this question. He is a landscape photographer so the video pertains mostly to that genre, although it’s an interesting experiment no matter what you shoot.
Five tips for stunning portraits in harsh midday sun
If there’s anything we can expect outside every day, all day, it’s the sunshine. I don’t know about you guys, but I haven’t seen a single cloud in over a month. When you want to take photos on hot summer days, early morning or late afternoon are certainly the best options. But sometimes you just can’t choose, and the harsh midday sun is the only lighting you’re left with.
The sweat stains you get from the scorching midday sun aren’t the only unflattering thing it gives you. It’s also the worst portrait lighting you can imagine. However, there are ways to work with it and still get some awesome portraits. And in this video from Adorama, Gavin Hoey will give you as many as five ways to do it.[Read More…]
This is how you use a light meter properly – they’re really not that difficult or scary
While they were once a fixture in every studio and photographer’s gear bag, light meters seem to have fallen out of fashion ever since digital photography came along. And while it’s true that we now have a lot more options for exposing our shots, the humble light meter can still play a very valuable role in nailing the shot quickly and consistently.
The cost of messing up the exposure of a shot, twiddling some dials and shooting another isn’t as expensive as it was in the film days, light meters can still save you a lot of time and hassle. And in this great video, Daniel Norton walks us through how to use a light meter, along with some tips and tricks to make your life a little easier when using one.
Instagram Hates Photos: Where to Share Your Work Now
Now that Instagram has transformed into a short-form video platform geared towards creators and influencers looking to go viral, where do we hobbyists and enthusiasts share our photos and find other photographers?
It’s not Flickr: the user base isn’t mainstream enough. It’s not Twitter either: that’s mostly topical posts like news and opinion. Discord isn’t really a social network, but a group chat. And Facebook is a joke.
It’s Tumblr. (Wait, hear me out).
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